It was inevitable that the fifth season of Arrow would feel like a bit of a closed circle. After all, it's been five years now since Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) returned from his apparent death at sea to Star City, and as a result, not only has the season brought back plot threads and homages to the show's first season, but it's also brought Oliver in the flashbacks closer and closer to where he was in the pilot episode. That sort of finality was bound to bring some dramatic weight to it, whether the fifth season managed to deliver on all fronts or not. Luckily, it's turned out to be one of the best seasons of Arrow to date, bringing the series back from the slump of its third and fourth seasons.

It's also turned out to be one of the least predictable, and more dangerous seasons of the show, with Oliver facing off against Prometheus, a villain created indirectly through Oliver's murderous actions in the first season. As a result, while the show's upcoming season finale will tie things up once and for all regarding Oliver's time alone before the series began, it could very well also feature one of his toughest confrontations to date, when he and Prometheus finally square off for the entire world to see.

It looks like that fight may bring some indirect casualties of its own as well, resulting in the possible loss of some of the show's more beloved characters. At least, that's what executive producer Wendy Mericle teases while recently speaking with EW about the upcoming finale, stating that the season finale will feature Prometheus trying to finally ruin Oliver's legacy - forever:

"Chase has been trying to prove to the world and to Oliver that he's not a hero, he's a killer, and he's going to pull out one final, big whamo at the end that's going to leave Oliver reeling. We might lose some people."

The Arrow team are really planning on pulling out all the stops on this season finale too. Aside from just finding a way to tie the main theme of the season into its present and past storylines, the season 5 finale will feature the return of some of the show's most important characters, including Black Siren (Katie Cassidy), Nyssa al Ghul (Katrina Law) and Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett).

All signs point towards Oliver turning to those three characters for help in taking down Prometheus, which only further cements just how formidable of a foe he's turned out to be, even despite being one of the least physically powerful that Oliver has faced. But hopefully, in addition to creating a bombastic action setpiece to close the season out, the finale will also be able to tap into the melancholy tinge that's permeated throughout the entirety of season five up until this point; as Oliver is forced to come to terms with his legacy as the Green Arrow, once and for all.

NEXT: Arrow, Riverdale & The Flash Season Finale Dates

Arrow returns Wednesday, April 26 with “Dangerous Liaisons,” at 8pm on The CW.

Source: EW